Last class, we began to talk about evolution and our inner fish. Our inner fish begins to take form somewhere between the Jawed fish and Amphibians. During lass, our main focus was on fish, specifically the Tiktaalik and its connection to us humans today based on how the bones were arranged in its arm. Its bone structure in the arm was one bone-two bones-lots of blobs. This bone structure was unlike any other fish. Though the Tiktaalik still had fins, it had wrists as well. Because of this, the Tiktaalik could do push ups. Having the ability to do push ups was great for protecting itself from predators and also for hunting. The Tiktaalik had a lot of characteristics unlike regular fish. For example, it had not only gills but lungs, as well. Its head was not round, as a fish head is normally. The head was flat and the eyes were on top of the head.
We also talked about fossil evidence and the process of fossilization. The process includes, of course, the animal dying and then bacteria and scavengers eat away at the skin and tissues. Next, the bones get buried by layers of sediment. Sedimentary rocks are the best rocks to look for when seeking fossils. Sediment pressure then causes the skeleton of the animal to fossilize. The plates then move/shift and erosion occurs (i.e. water). Finally, people are able to locate the fossil. As I mentioned before, when looking for fossils, it is best to look where there are sedimentary rocks. You also need to think about the age of these rocks. If you have the right rocks of the right age, you will find what you're looking for.
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